Angels and Demons
by Sergeant Turtle
Summary: Meridian #2. The team's worst nightmare surfaces when they are captured and experimented on by Bishop and his scientists. After an explosive escape, the boys will have to adjust to some interesting changes. Ignore the pain. Fight the hunger. Stay in control. (Rated T for mentions of torture, blood, violence, and no small amount of emotional distress.) Art by the author.
1. Awake

**Hey, all! Story two is here - this is where it really begins!**

**Don't own any turtles at all, let alone ninja ones.**

* * *

One: Awake

He woke slowly, the pain in his head increasing as consciousness returned to him.

_Black. Darkness._

_…Are my eyes open?_

_They are._

The old, primeval fear gripped his heart in a vice. _Can't see. Why can't I see?_ He stretched out a hand and touched cold, unforgiving concrete, then reached down to feel the unfamiliar clothes he was wearing. He was in some sort of cell, very likely with no means of escape. _Is there anyone else in here?_

'H-hello?'

'Mikey, is that you?'

'Raph!'

'Hey, little bro. Where are you? I can't see a thing.'

'Over this way. You can't see either? What's going on?'

'It's not just me?' Raph heard his little brother scuffling toward him. 'How dark is it? Or have we gone blind?'

'Can't be that. I'm starting to see stuff, bits of light. Must be only temporary.'

'Do ya know where the others are?'

'No.' Mikey inched closer to Raph, who put an arm around his shoulders, trying to comfort the younger turtle. 'I'm scared, Raph. Where'd they take us? Where's Leo and Donnie?'

'It's okay, Mike. We'll figure this out.'

* * *

They were just able to discern shapes when there was a familiar-sounding groan from the far corner. 'Ow. Did anyone else see that truck?'

Raph would know that voice anywhere. It lectured, scolded, and argued often enough, but right now, it was the best thing he'd ever heard. 'Leo! Are you okay?'

'I think so, but I can't see anything. And my head feels like a house got dropped on it.'

'They did hit ya with a huge amount of tranq' darts. More than they'd normally use, I'd guess,' said Raph.

'Sorry,' said Leo, still sounding rather dazed. 'Mental blank here. Can we just go through everything that happened while I wait for my sight to return from its holiday?'

'Okay. I got knocked out pretty early on, though,' said Mikey. 'Raph'll have to continue from there.'

'No prob. Start from the beginning, Mike,' Raph replied.

* * *

THREE DAYS PRIOR…

Four shadows leapt across the New York rooftops. The rain was beginning to fall, a welcome relief from what had been an unusually warm day. It was a full moon, which meant extra caution had to be taken to avoid being spotted. And with gang activity on the rise again, it was pretty clear that if they put a foot wrong, the hunters could quickly become the hunted.

Raph and Don had returned from a patrol the night before with some interesting information. They'd discovered where the weapon shipments the Purple Dragons had been receiving were ending up – and who they would eventually be sold to.

'They're tag-teamin' with the Foot again. An' here we were hopin' the You-Sucks-Clan was out of it for good,' Raph said, showing them the pictures they'd loaded to Don's computer – Purple Dragons loading the crates of ammunition into a large truck, watched by the silent, inscrutable ninjas, the emblem of the Foot Clan prominent on their shinobi uniforms.

'Why do they keep coming back?' grumbled Mikey. 'We just kick their butts again, so why do they bother?'

Leo frowned. 'Because, Mike, there are so many of them that they reckon one day they'll get lucky and kill at least one of us, which they hope will make the team fall apart, _ergo_ effectively making us less of a threat and easier to neutralize. Why do you think they go out in small armies? There's about thirty Foot per patrol now – and that's a _small_ group.'

Don caught the worried tone in Leo's voice and looked up at his eldest brother, noting the concerned frown and body language that was practically yelling "NERVOUS!". Was Leo afraid of a few Foot Ninja? Raph and Mikey were also confused. Their big brother had become so paranoid.

Little did they know.

In hindsight, with all the noise the PDs were making, it should have been pretty obvious that Leo had a right to be feeling nervous. Of course, in reality they only realised it was a trap when the tranquilisers started flying.

Mikey was the first to go down, hit from behind by half a dozen darts. Don, running to help, took a sword hilt to the back of the head, knocking him unconscious immediately. Raph shoved Leo out of the way as another volley of darts flew past, taking several shots in the arm. He wavered a little, but continued fighting. Eventually he couldn't battle the effects of the sedative any longer, and he sunk to the ground.

The last thing he heard was Leo's cry of pain and the thud of darts hitting skin. Six, seven, eight – then he blacked out and heard nothing more.

* * *

'All in all, that fight only lasted about fifteen minutes,' said Raph. 'Record fail, I think. Usually we'd have put up more of a fight.'

'Well, we haven't exactly been ourselves lately,' replied Mikey.

There was a silence. Master Splinter had died peacefully in his sleep earlier that month, and the turtles were still dealing with the grief.

Raph squeezed Mikey's hand, trying to offer some comfort, and was surprised when his brother froze, startled. 'Mikey, what's the matter?'

'You have five fingers.'

'Wait – so do _you_!'

'Guys…'

They turned to look at Leo, who was staring at them with an expression of mingled disbelief and fascination, an expression which was soon echoed on the faces of his younger brothers.

'Leo -'

'Guys, you've got –'

'– You've got –'

As one, their hands flew up to touch their foreheads, meeting an unfamiliar sensation. 'HAIR!'

They freaked out for a few seconds, before moving around to observe what changes had occurred. As well as humanoid hands, their feet now had five toes and were distinctly more – well, foot-like. The strangest and most disorienting transformation was their shells.

Moving around with two-thirds of your own weight on your back for your whole life makes for some interesting alterations in balance and agility when that weight is removed. On closer examination, Leo pronounced their new 'evolved' shells to be nothing more than a natural bullet-proof vest. Flat against both their back and front, it would certainly make the wearing of disguises much easier. With their faces and green skin covered, they would look perfectly human.

'Well,' said Leo once they had all calmed down, 'Don's going to enjoy testing all of this when he wakes up.' He looked around, sensing that something wasn't right. '…Where_ is_ Don?'

Then the door burst open and a scientist-type man walked in, followed by six heavily armed guards. 'Bring the blue one. We're done with the others; they aren't suitable for the third stage. You can get rid of them.'

One of the guards hit Leo with a stunner, then he and another guard picked the unconscious ninja up by the arms and followed the scientist out. The four remaining guards raised their tranq guns. Raph gave Mikey's hand one more reassuring squeeze before the darts hit and they blacked out.


	2. Pain

Nope. Still don't own them.

* * *

Two: Pain

'Leo… Leo, wake up.'

Someone was shaking his shoulder gently. He forced his eyes to open and stared up into a familiar green face. 'Don? What happened? Where are we?' He tried to sit up and hissed as pain lanced through his chest. Don eased him back down, his face concerned. 'Careful, Leo. Give yourself time.'

'What's going on? Why weren't you in the cell with us?'

'Something about it being too dangerous. I woke up first, maybe they thought I could find a way out of the simple cell. And now, apparently, they've thought the same about you. They can see our every move in here because of the cameras, and they've got highly trained guards outside the door.'

Leo sighed in an exasperated manner. 'We're highly trained too. Don't they ever remember that?'

'We don't have tasers and machine guns, Leo. Our only option with these guys would be stealth, but there's not much chance of that in here. Let's face it – we'll either be dissected, tortured, or brainwashed, or maybe even all three. I mean, look at us, we've already been _experimented_ on,' Don grimaced as he wiggled a five-fingered hand. 'Maybe it's an improvement, but I still feel violated.'

'You should have seen the others,' replied Leo, 'Who knew Raph would have curly hair?'

'_What?_'

'Like Frodo – even the same colour.'

Don couldn't help snickering at the picture of his big, tough brother with a mop of brown curls. 'Must be a sight.'

'Mikey's looks like he pinched it off a surfer in California.'

'Blonde?'

'Blonde,' Leo chuckled. 'Like a _daikon_ radish.'

'Not going to help with his stealth,' laughed Don.

'No.'

Then he remembered.

_"We're done with the others, they're not suitable for the third stage. You can get rid of them."_

Don saw Leo's face fall, and his laughter died. 'They're gone, aren't they?' Leo nodded. 'Or will be soon,' he replied, a tear trickling from his eye.

Then the door of their dungeon opened.

* * *

Don shivered, curling into a ball and trying not to think of all the horrible things that could happen when they were taken beyond the concrete walls of the cell.

They'd taken Leo, he knew. The guards had come in and stunned them both, and when he woke up his brother was gone. He was alone.

Don didn't like being alone. It scared him, not knowing where his brothers were and if they would ever come back. Everything felt so cold and forbidding without the easy smile of Mikey, the gruff (but soft-hearted), grumbling Raph, or Leo's protective and comforting presence.

He could hear footsteps coming toward the cell door, and shrank back. The door opened and a pair of guards tossed the unconscious form of Leo inside. As soon as the door slammed shut, Don scrambled on hands and knees to where his brother lay unresponsive on the bare concrete. He rolled Leo onto his back and sucked in a breath at the scarlet tinge of blood staining the floor. The genius looked his brother over with growing horror as he found numerous cuts and bruises that he knew had not been there before, as well as several marks that were most likely electrical burns.

Leo had been tortured. Don felt the bile rise in his throat as he ran his hand along his brother's arm to the clearly dislocated shoulder, which he quickly reset, grimacing at the familiar sound. He knew what dislocations felt like and was rather glad Leo was currently unconscious.

The worst part of it all was that Don knew how to treat every single injury Leo had received, but he was just as much a prisoner and had no way of helping his brother.

A ragged gasp brought him back to the present, and he looked down to see Leo's eyes flicker open, the pain clear on his face before a fit of coughing racked his body. Don pulled his brother into a half sitting position hoping this would help ease Leo's breathing. When the coughing ceased, Don gently laid the blue-masked turtle back down, then felt his heart skip a beat as he saw blood trickling from the corner of Leo's mouth.

_Oh, gods. He's worse than I thought._

He could sense the panic building, that unshakeable sensation of a hand clenching around him, the suffocating feeling climbing up in his throat and making his heartbeat pound in his chest. Don recognized all the signs and mentally slapped himself. _Leo needs help – don't go having a panic attack now._

His attention snapped back to Leo as another coughing fit seized the older turtle. Don rubbed slow circles on his brother's back as Leo turned onto his side, the horrible, harsh coughs finally subsiding. 'Don?'

Don didn't answer, his eyes on the small puddle of crimson beside his brother's head. Leo rolled onto his back again and looked up at the young genius.

'Donnie?' The word was pleading, desperate, but Don couldn't bring himself to answer, because he knew how this conversation was going to end. He screwed his eyes shut, willing himself to keep calm. A shaking hand found its way to his, followed by Leo's fast-weakening voice. 'Look at me, little brother. Please.'

The younger turtle raised tear-filled eyes to his brother's pained ones. Leo managed a small smile. 'It'll be okay. The others will have found out where we are by now. They'll come for you.'

A sob escaped Don's throat. 'Leo… don't leave me…'

One breath in, a hitching shudder that didn't even qualify.

A whisper. 'I love you, little brother. Be strong…'

One breath out, and Leo's eyes locked onto Don's. He didn't move again.

Don snapped back to consciousness at the sound of his own howl of grief. His eyes roved around the room, stopping on his tormentor, a tall, thin man in a grey uniform, who smiled coldly as the turtle's terrified eyes looked up into his own dark and empty ones. 'Now, Donatello – if you don't wish for your nightmare to come true, you're going to answer my questions… truthfully. And trust me – I'll know if you're lying.'

* * *

Leo sat with his back to the wall of the cell, staring at the door. If they didn't bring Don back within ten seconds, he was going to get mad. That wouldn't be pleasant for any _fool_ who came into the room.

He twitched as a spike of something unfamiliar crossed his mind. No – not _completely_ unfamiliar.

_Don?_

Though their experience on the astral plane was limited, the brothers had mastered the ability to send flashes of emotion to each other. But as the spike of anguish strengthened, Leo realised this was nothing like that. He was tapping into Don's emotions involuntarily, an empathic ability which he'd discovered a while back. However, he could only sense very strong negative emotion. _Don must be in serious trouble. That's it, I'm not happy._

The door opened and he readied himself to attack – until two guards tossed the unconscious body of his brother inside.

Five minutes later he woke to his scream of anguish.


	3. Breakout

**If I owned the Turtles, Michael Bay would not be making a movie and Imagi would make another CGI film**.

* * *

Three: Breakout

Bishop smiled thinly as he surveyed the laboratory. The experiment was going well, albeit slowly. So far, the simulated environments were holding up under the stress of the two mutants' emotions.

He had to admit, exploiting the familial bonds between the turtles had given him a very unprofessional rush of pleasure. And, he thought – his smile growing wider – he'd done what none of their enemies had been able to accomplish yet; to break through the hard outer shells of their minds and leave them sobbing, emotional wrecks.

Bishop couldn't resist a chuckle at the thought and returned his gaze to the centre of the room, where his two third-phase subjects sat unconscious – well, 'asleep' was a closer approximation – in the simulation chairs. These were arranged facing outwards in a square to allow complete surveillance.

Two of the chairs were empty – having failed Stage Two, Raphael and Michelangelo had been declared unsuitable to continue and were returned to their cell. That had been several days ago, and Stage Three of the experiment was progressing at a steady crawl. Despite the weakening of their minds, Leonardo and Donatello appeared to still have some fight in them, causing the serum to work less efficiently. Leonardo in particular appeared to be resisting the effects of the Sanguine blood, making the scientists curious as to any extenuating circumstances.

But, a few more days and that would be a thing of the past as they progressed to Stage Four – the final level of the experiment, if nothing else intervened.

Interestingly enough, it was then that the alarms began to sound as the lights turned off.

* * *

EARLIER…

Mikey watched as Raph pounded the wall of the cell in anger. 'We've got ta have been in here for days! What are they doin' to the others?' Mike thought it best not to reply while his hotheaded brother was in this particular mood, instead turning to face the door as his sharp ears picked up the sound of footsteps. 'Someone's coming.'

Raph's face set into an expression of grim determination. 'We're doin' it. I don't care about the risks anymore. We have to help Leo and Donnie, and we have to get out of here.'

Mike looked up into the red-masked ninja's face - jaw set, eyes narrowed - and knew it was useless to argue. Raph was in what Mikey liked to call 'extreme loyalty mode', where he would risk everything and anything to help his brothers. 'Okay. Let's go.'

The guard never knew what hit him after he opened the door and found his vision filled with a green foot before he blacked out.

Raph peeked into the hallway. 'No one yet, but we can't be too sure. Get this guy inside, and check for any keycards we might need.' Mikey complied, and then brightened as he had an idea. 'Hey Raph, he's about your size. Full-face helmet too. Where's the next camera?'

'Just down the hall – saw it when they brought us back in after our last toilet break. Hey… we might just have the same idea.'

'Well then, to work!'

'Let's make it fast – any minute now another guard'll walk down the hall an' wonder why the door's open.'

* * *

Raph cursed under his breath as he roughly shoved Mikey forward. He hated hurting his little brother, but the abundance of cameras inside the prison block meant they had to keep up appearances at all times – just in case. They had to get hold of another uniform. Sooner or later someone was going to ask where the 'guard' was taking the 'prisoner', and then the deception would be finished.

Raph noticed a sign saying TOILET on the door of the next room. He nudged Mikey's arm. 'We're here.' Opening the door, he pushed the orange-masked turtle inside. While mike entered a cubicle on the pretense of a 'potty break', Raph scanned the room for cameras. As expected, there were only a few for privacy's sake. And, in a corner, unseen by the camera's eye, was a vent in the roof - near the sinks. _Perfect._

Ten minutes and several close calls later, they were moving through the crawl spaces out of the prison block. Mikey was also wearing a uniform now – courtesy of a guard who had entered the toilets at the wrong time. They dropped to the ground outside the building and 'patrolled' across the asphalt towards the power station, trusting in their disguises, although Mikey's heart started pounding with fear as they passed a large contingent of guards. He let out an audible sigh of relief when they were out of earshot, but Raph just smiled under his helmet and hefted his gun to the other hand as he swiped the keycard in the power station door.

Time for some sabotage.

Mikey wasn't sure how he remembered all the gibberish Don had told them about explosives, but he was glad that it had tucked itself away in his brain – they'd had a narrow escape when the fuse had gone, that was for sure. Now they were rushing around like everyone else, making their way toward the central complex using the confusion as cover. He watched the signs on the doors as they sped down the hallway. Another toilet, 'armory' (they stopped for a minute in that one), 'storage' – hang on, _that_ door up there looked important.

They screeched to a halt at the end of the hall. What looked like the entrance to a safe stood before them, a great steel sliding door. Raph pulled a stun grenade from the belt of his stolen uniform, handed it to Mike, and drew the keycard from his pocket. 'Ready?' Mikey nodded, and Raph swiped the card. The door began to open, and as scientists looked around, Mike threw the stun grenade and turned away. Boom! Mass unconsciousness for everyone in the room. The two 'guards' pulled off their helmets – no point in disguises now – and rushed inside, closing the door.

While Mike destroyed the scientific equipment, Raph hurried over to his two 'sleeping' brothers. He had to wake them up with as little shock as possible. Maybe the mind-probes were a good start. 'Mikey, stop breakin' everythin' and get Don outta that chair. Be careful – looks like these probe things do puncture tha skin.' Raph turned back to Leo and gently eased the headset off. 'Leo? C'mon, buddy, wake up,' he said, lightly slapping his brother's cheek to shake him out of his stupor.

The blue-masked ninja woke with a jerk, wide eyes darting around the room before flicking back to the turtle in front of him. 'Raph?'

'Yeah, Leo, it's me; take it easy, bro,' replied his brother, 'We're bustin' outta here, let's go.' Raph helped Leo shakily to his feet, noticing Mike had done the same with Don, who kept looking around as if he expected monsters to burst from the walls.

'Right, escape plan,' said Raph, looking around at his now-complete family, 'Mikey, you're gonna take all the smoke grenades and point position, 'kay?' The youngest turtle nodded affirmation.

'Leo, Donnie, you're gonna stay in the centre and help each other out – I gotta feeling you're not in the zone for much fighting.'

Don walked over to Leo, stumbling slightly. Leo put a hand on the genius' shoulder – despite his slightly frazzled brain, he was alert enough to recognise Don's need for reassurance. Raph continued speaking. 'I'll take the remainin' stun grenades and watch your six. Now let's get outta here.'

* * *

The journey to the garage was nerve-racking to say the least – with their every move being caught on camera, they could only hope there was enough confusion to give them a head start. Mike swiped the card in the garage door and cautiously peeked round it. 'Clear so far.' Raph shepherded Don and Leo through the door and closed it behind him. 'Well – pick a vehicle, Mike. Preferably one with armor, and some guts – we're gonna have ta drive fast.'

'How about that one?'

'Which one?'

'Duh! The big van with the huge wheels and the really cool paint stripes, dude! Even from here I can see the engine's awesome!'

'_Mike_...'

'What? I _like_ to drive fast!'

'Oh, man...'

* * *

Bishop marched down the corridor to the great steel door. _There is no way the subjects could have escaped, at least._ He opened the door – and froze. _I think now would be a good time to take a very long holiday._

His phone rang.

'Yes, sir. There has been a setback.'

A pause.

'They escaped, sir.'

Bishop's face fell at the unheard reply, his normally calm demeanour slipping. 'Yes, sir. I'll fix it.'

He ended the call and stood in the doorway of the ruined lab.

'Damn.'


	4. Altered

**If I owned the Turtles, Nickelodeon wouldn't be allowed to get anywhere near them.**

* * *

Four: Altered

'Mikey, I'm never letting you drive again,' said Raph as he deposited a sleeping Donnie on the couch – the genius had spent most of the drive home talking in whispers with his eldest brother, before falling asleep on the blue-clad ninja's shoulder – noting as he stood that Leo had curled up in the armchair and was on the verge of drifting off. 'I don't think my stomach could take it.'

'Aw, c'mon bro, it wasn't _that_ bad,' Mike replied as he emerged from upstairs with two thick blankets, passing one to the dozing Leo, who fumbled with the heavy fabric sleepily before curling up beneath it. 'Tell that to my guts,' the blue-clad ninja mumbled before his eyes drooped shut.

Mikey snorted as if incensed, but ran his hand ever-so-gently through Leo's recently acquired midnight-black hair, drawing a quiet sigh of contentment from his eldest brother.

'Softie,' Raph chuckled, flattening Mike's own spiky blond mop.

'Dude, you wanna skirmish? Get in that dojo and show me what you're made of!'

'Okay then, you're on! But first, let's eat some real food!'

'Dude, have I ever mentioned that you're my _favourite_ brother?' Mikey grinned.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever,' replied Raph, but his smile betrayed him, and he elbowed his little brother cheerfully as they headed into the kitchen.

When they'd vanished from sight, Don cracked open one brown eye. 'Leo? Are you still there?'

'Yeah, Donnie,' came the tired but living voice, and the genius breathed a sigh of relief.

'Good.'

* * *

Someone was talking. Leo opened his eyes and sat up slowly. The voice was familiar. Of course – April.

'–we've been coming down here every day since to try to track your cell signals. I'm surprised your computer didn't shut down completely after the first week from disuse, Don.'

'Why – because I might program it to?'

'Oh, no – from shock, of course, Don. You use it so much it probably started crying after the first day.'

A laugh – Mikey's laugh. Gosh, it was good to hear. Just that one sound made Leo feel better.

'Hey, man,' said Raph as he noticed Leo. 'Look who's finally up.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Don beat you by an hour. April and Case got here while you were both still out.'

'I heard. Any developments in the state of the city while we were MIA?'

Leo noticed a slight smile on April's face from where she sat on the couch with Don and Casey. 'What?'

'Oh, just… your hair's sticking up everywhere.'

The blue-masked ninja smiled in return and rubbed the offending strands down. 'I've been asleep for a while, huh?'

'Indeed, bro,' replied Mikey, coming to sit on the arm of Leo's chair with a steaming hot drink in his hand. Leo took the proffered mug of tea and rested his elbows on his knees. 'So, Donnie; been able to find anything out in the hour you've been awake?'

'Apart from a general examination of our evolution – nothing. Well, except that aside from their physical changes, Raph and Mikey are completely normal,' answered the genius turtle. 'I wanted to wait for you before I did our tests, seeming as the both of us were submitted to a further stage of whatever experiment they were running. They must have been planning it for months - I mean, three levels of simulation...it was like _Inception_ with evil scientists.'

Leo's head tilted as he scrutinised his brother. 'You've got caffeine withdrawal.'

'What makes you say that?'

'Uh – you're unusually irritable.'

'Oh. Well – I haven't had a coffee in two weeks,' Don said, eyes darting towards the kitchen, where the coffee pot could be heard heating up. 'Hurry, sweet liquid life, I can't wait much longer!'

Raph grinned as his brother practically jumped out of his seat at the coffee pot's beep, running to the kitchen. 'Same ol' Donnie.'

'No… he's not,' said Leo slowly, his eyes narrowing. 'Something's not right. There's something there, even he doesn't realise, trying to take over…what am I saying? How do I know this?'

'Leo?'

Leo started and looked up at Mikey. 'What just happened?'

'I dunno, bro,' replied Raph, uneasy. 'I was 'bout to ask you the same question… Donnie?' The genius emerged from the kitchen – more awake now thanks to the cup of coffee he was holding – and looked questioningly around at everybody. Raph turned back to Leo. 'He looks fine to me.'

Don's expression switched from questioning to completely confused. 'Uh, guys – what's the problem?'

'Leo just went all creepy-psychic on us!' cried Mikey as he moved off the arm of the chair and away from his older brother. 'He said last month that he couldn't do that, and he never jokes around like this!'

'What?'

'Donnie, you are going to run tests on the both of you to see what the heck Stage Three did! Now!'

'Okay, okay – come on, Leo, let's get to the lab before Mikey blows an artery from freaking out.'

* * *

Raph looked over at the laboratory door for what felt like the hundredth time. 'What's takin' them so long? They've been in there for hours!'

'These things take time, Raph,' replied April. 'Gene and blood tests aren't exactly fast, even with Donnie's genius behind them.'

'I wonder how they're feeling,' Casey mused, 'hoping that nothing's really wrong…'

INSIDE DON'S LAB…

'I haven't done gene testing in a while,' mumbled Don as he watched the printer spit out results.

'So… Donnie… has anything unusual happened to you since you woke up? It's just…'

'Actually, it has,' replied the purple-masked turtle quietly. 'I got this strange flash of fear when I was in the kitchen, and I know this is weird, but – it somehow wasn't my fear. It came from somewhere else.'

Leo paled. 'Empathy.'

'What?'

'It was _my_ fear, Donnie, when I had that strange moment.'

'Leo, how do you… oh… you've experienced it too, haven't you?'

'I was in the third layer of the simulation, the nightmare scenario… I don't want to discuss that, but… I was sitting in the 'cell', and I felt – just for a minute – a very strong sense of anguish. That was you, wasn't it – in your nightmare simulation?'

'Leo… how long…'

'The first time it happened was the night before – I was with Raph and Mikey in the first layer of the sim. It wasn't as strong, though.'

The printer beeped, and Don picked up what looked like half a ream of paper. 'Hmm, looks normal… hang on, what's that? Looks familiar.' He sat down at the computer and pulled up an old research file. 'Holy…'

'What? Don, _what's wrong?_'

'There's new proteins in our genetic structure. They're Sanguine proteins.'

'And that means…'

'Vampires, Leo. Bishop was trying to turn the two of us into vampires.'


	5. Fear

**I do not own the Teenage Mutants. The whole planet knows this.**

* * *

Five: Fear

There was a deathly silence in the lab. Leo had gone very still and Don looked slightly sick. The thought that there was a new code in their genetic makeup, one that – if it had progressed far enough – could have created a lust for blood, had shocked the two turtles badly.

After a long minute, Leo shivered and looked down at the floor. 'And… the empathy thing?'

'Well,' replied his brother, 'we're not vampires _per se_, but we've probably had a dormant gene activated by the proteins.'

'Both of us? But wouldn't that be statistically rare?'

'I'm wondering that myself, Leo. It could be something on the animal side, it has been speculated that some animals have the empathic ability.'

'I still don't see how it's possible. I mean, sure we've both got black hair, brown eyes and the same shade of green skin, but the same dormant gene?'

Silence. 'Donnie?'

'There's an explanation for all of that, too,' whispered the younger turtle, staring at two large sheets of paper, which he laid next to each other on the table. 'Look.'

Leo looked, and his eyes widened in surprise. 'No. No _way_.'

* * *

'You're _what_?' yelled the others when Don revealed the results of the gene tests.

'Twins. Identical twins. Sorry, Raph – you actually have _two_ older brothers.'

'I don't feel _really_ surprised, strangely,' said Mikey. 'You two have always been the most similar – you're both smart, logical, kinda quiet, you use proper grammar, not to mention responsible, mature, sorta bossy at times –'

'We get it, doofus,' replied Raph, giving the orange-masked turtle a noogie. 'They're kinda the 'best friends' of the team too – they have been for years.'

'But you started out as turtles – how is it possible that you're twins? Two turtles can't hatch from the same egg, can they?' said April, her brows knitted in confusion.

'They can, and do with surprising frequency,' replied Donnie conversationally.

'So,' said Casey, trying to avoid a giant 'science argument', 'anything else your gene tests told you? Like, are all you guys actually related? Well, obviously you two are, but what about Mike and Raph?'

'Um… let's see… they're related to each other, and they're also half-brothers to us, so… yeah.'

'It's all good?'

'Yeah.'

Raph looked intently at his genius brother, noticing the shifty eyes and shuffling feet that indicated Don was not being entirely truthful. 'What aren't you telling us?'

'Hm?'

'Don't you play the innocent, Donnie – what did Stage Three do to you?'

Don glanced at Leo, who gave the barest of nods. The genius sighed nervously and returned his gaze to the others. 'Do any of you know much about the Sanguine?'

* * *

After their friends had left for home – once all the explaining, freaking out, and subsequent reassuring had been done – the twins felt a very strong desire to go somewhere else. Don packed up a few things in his old duffel bag and they headed down the elevator shaft to their secret 'quiet space'. This was an old storage room, its walls corresponding with the main space of the lair above it. Over the years since they'd found it by accident one day, the brickwork had been gradually covered in a mural by Leo, full of dragons and other mythical creatures; and an old shelf had been filled with scavenged books, with a few dusty beanbags placed beside it.

A year after its discovery, they had let Splinter in on the secret and asked him to help build an agility course on the empty half of the room. He had smiled at their eagerness and complied, even helping them bring back old crash mats from the skip behind a local gym. The course had advanced Leo and Donnie far beyond their brothers where speed and flexibility were required, giving them the edge in sparring and ninja tag.

But they didn't feel like using it right now. Leo pulled a battered copy of the _Earthsea_ quartet from the shelf, sunk into a beanbag, and absorbed himself in the adventures of Sparrowhawk. Don sat down at a small table and busied himself with his inventing.

It felt like the first peace they'd had in years.

* * *

The next morning, Leo found himself shaken awake by a worried Mikey. 'Leo, I can't find Donnie anywhere, he hasn't left any notes, and he's not answering his cell!' The older turtle leapt out of bed, threw on some clothes, reassured Mikey that he'd find their brother, and ran for the elevator shaft. He climbed down the ladder, dropped the last few feet and flicked on the lights. 'Don?'

The purple-masked turtle was hiding in the far corner of the room with his knees pulled up to his chest, hiding his hands. He had tears running down his face, but stayed completely silent. Leo's heart clenched at the sight – he'd never really known Donnie to cry. Like Leo, Don had developed a thick skin over the years, and was very good at hiding his emotions. The blue-clad ninja approached his brother and crouched in front of him. 'Don, what's wrong?'

Don cringed and shrank further into the corner, curling his hands under his arms. 'Don't come any closer.'

'Why?'

'I don't want to hurt you.'

Leo took a deep breath. When he spoke again his voice was softer, more even; he'd found it a useful tool for reassuring younger brothers. 'Don, look at me.'

Wet brown eyes slowly met Leo's, full of fear and anxiety. The older turtle held out his hand. 'Show me.'

Don looked down at his knees. Now the stubbornness. Something was really wrong. 'Come on, Donnie,' said Leo quietly, switching to the affectionate nickname. Don sniffled and reached up a shaking hand. At the end of his fingers were sharp, feline claws, which retracted at Leo's sharp intake of breath. Don broke down and hid his face. 'I'm so scared, Leo,' he managed between sobs, 'what if this means it's progressing after all? What if I lose control and – and hurt someone?'

'Donnie, you could never do that,' said Leo. 'You are far too gentle and caring to become a monster.'

Don burst into tears again, reaching for Leo, who sat down beside him and pulled his twin into a tight hug, the younger clutching the elder's arm as if his life depended on it. When his brother had quieted, Leo wiped away a few stray tears and rested his chin on the top of Don's head. 'I'm going to help you, little brother. We are going to find a way to reverse this, and if we can't, then we will find a way to stop it. Okay?'

Donnie nodded and leaned into his brother's embrace, hearing Leo's voice beside him.

'Kono-jo ni josho shimasu. Anata wa tsuneni okonau.'

_You will rise above this. You always do._

* * *

**So, about the vampire thing, Sanguine are not that sort of vampires. Read _Skulduggery Pleasant_ and tone it down about seventy-five percent, (or _I Am Legend_ down fifty) minus the whole shape-shifting bit. They are pretty much the original being with claws, feral rage, _slightly_ sharper canines and enhanced speed and agility. Do NOT think Twilight. Please.  
**

**Earthsea belongs to Ursula LeGuin. The Sanguine are mine, sorry. You can't have them. Unless you ask really politely. :)  
**


	6. Promise

**I don't own them… still… (sigh)**

* * *

Six: Promise

Mikey was worried. Don had been awfully quiet the past few days, ever since he'd discovered the Sanguine proteins in his and Leo's genes. He'd holed himself up in the lab, only coming out for meals – sometimes not even that. On the rare occasions that he spoke, he would stare at his hands and evade any questions. Mikey had also noticed that his eyes were often red, and he wouldn't sit too near anybody – even Leo and April, the people he was generally closest to.

Something was wrong, and Mike was pretty sure Leo knew what it was. He'd seen the leader helping Don in the lab, both intensely focused on performing various experiments with what looked like blood. Did someone have some dreadful illness? Or had that freaky Sanguine stuff done some kind of horrible damage to one of his brothers?

He sat down on his bed and pulled out his journal. _Dear diary,_ he wrote, _I don't know what's going on. There's something wrong with one of the twins – oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. We found out a few days ago after Raph and I rescued them (and ourselves) from Bishop's lab. Stupid loony scientist! Anyway, there's something wrong – I think Donnie's sick. He's not talking to anyone much except for Leo. I've got a funny feeling Leo knows what's up and Don made him promise not to tell…_

* * *

Leo sighed, rubbed his eyes, then blinked furiously and shook his head – one of many tricks he was using in order to stay awake. He'd been helping Don with his experiments for hours, trying to find a way to stop the Sanguine proteins' progression. He was not going to let his twin – his wonderful, caring, good-natured, brilliant little brother – to be turned into a vicious beast by his own DNA.

_Damn you to the deepest corner of whatever hell you're going to, Bishop. You do _not_ hurt my brothers and get away with it. I will never let you win in whatever twisted game you are playing, hear me? Whatever you try next, I will make sure it blows up in your smirking face. You will _not_ take away Mikey's smile, you will _not_ take away Raph's strength, and you will _not_ take away Don's intelligence.  
_

_And you will not ever, _ever_ take away my brothers.  
_

The blue-clad ninja looked over to where his twin was dozing with his head on the desk, drooling onto the wood. Leo smiled at the sight. He'd had to literally _order_ Donnie to get some sleep, and even then he remained glued to the lab. It was so typical of the genius turtle that Leo found himself thinking back to when they were younger, when they were less sure of both the world and themselves…

* * *

_'Ani__?'_

_Seven-year-old Leo's eyes flicked open to find an identical pair just inches from his own. He yelped in surprise and wriggled backwards, stopping when his shell hit the wall. 'Donnie, what are you doing here? If Splinter finds you out of bed you'll get in trouble!'_

_'__I'm scared, Leo.'_

_'__Why?'_

_'__Because the world is so big.'_

_'__It's not really.'_

_'__Yes it is! The Earth is seven thousand nine hundred and twenty-six point forty-one miles wide! It's enormous!'_

_'__I still don't understand, Donnie.'_

_'__I'm scared that when we eventually go out there on our own, I'll get lost or taken and I'll never see any of you ever again, because the world is so big and we're so small!'_

_Realisation dawned on little Leo's face as he watched his younger brother's eyes glimmer with unshed tears. He sat up in bed and motioned for Donnie to sit beside him, putting an arm around the genius. 'Donnie, I wouldn't _ever_ let you get taken, because I'm the _ani_ and I look after you.'_

_Don sniffled, a tear finally falling as he rested his head on his brother's shoulder. 'But – but what if I get lost?'_

_'__Then I'll come and find you, if it takes twenty years.'_

_The younger turtle was silent for a minute, then looked up into his big brother's eyes._

_ '__Promise, Leo?'_

_'__Promise.'_

_Another silence._

_'__Leo?'_

_'__Yes, Donnie?'_

_'__C-could you write it down for me so I don't forget?'_

_Leo frowned confused. Donnie had a good memory – why would he forget? But he nodded. 'I'll do it in the morning.'_

_'__Thanks, Leo.' Don looked embarrassed for a second, looking down at his feet. 'Ani?'_

_'__What is it, Don?'_

_'__Can I stay here tonight?'_

_'__Sure.' Leo lifted the blanket, and Donnie wriggled under it to snuggle against his brother's side. 'Thank you, Leo. Good night.'_

_'__Night, Donnie.'_

_In the morning, after their regular training, Leo returned to his room and took his writing box from under his bed. In the romaji that was their secret language, he wrote this note…_

**Anata ga satsuei sa rete iru doko made iku ka ni kankei naku, watashi wa itsumo kite, anata o mitsuke, anata ga watashi no otōtodearu tame, nani mo watashitachi o eien ni hanarete tamotsu koto wa dekinaideshou.**

_He folded the note carefully, tied a piece of blue string around it to keep it closed, and left it beside Don's bed. As he was leaving, he realised why his little brother had wanted him to write it down._

_Donnie wanted affirmation of the promise Leo had made._

_The little turtle smiled and went downstairs._

* * *

Leo blinked as the memory faded. A strange noise reached his ears and he was pretty sure it was snoring. He smiled as Don mumbled something about 'want more nachos' and turned his head to the other side. The blue-clad ninja turned off the Bunsen burner. 'Donnie, what should I do with this?'

'Put it in the centrifuge and leave it for an hour,' mumbled Don, and Leo nearly burst out laughing as he realised his brother was still asleep. The genius turtle started awake and looked curiously at his twin, who was sitting on the edge of the table, his shoulders shaking as he chuckled louder than ever at the bemused look on Don's face.

'What's so funny?'

'Nothing,' replied Leo. Then he smiled mischievously. 'Are you hungry? I think there are some leftover nachos in the fridge…'

Don caught the joke and grinned briefly before turning his gaze to the computer. Leo watched as his brother quickly returned to the silent, brooding being he had become over the past few days. The expression on the genius' face nearly broke Leo's heart, being somewhere between desperation and hopelessness.

Then a word popped into his head.

_Affirmation._

'Donnie?'

His twin looked at him questioningly. Leo pulled a chair up next to his brother and placed a gentle hand on his arm in the way that Don knew meant _Listen to me, little brother. Listen carefully._

'No matter where you go or how far you are taken, I will always come and find you, because you are my brother and nothing can keep us apart forever.'

The younger turtle was silent for a minute, then he leaned his head on his twin's shoulder, pulling an old, crumpled note from his pocket, the lines of romaji faded but as true as when they rang through his brother's voice just seconds before. He felt a tear track down his cheek. 'Promise, Leo?'

'Promise.'

* * *

**Aaaaah, the bro-fluff! Leo is so sweet (sniffle). :,)**

**One more chapter. Prepare for cliff-hangers.**

**…**

**Neh heh heh.**


	7. Shatter

**Oy… I do not control the rights of the Adolescent Anthropomorphic Warrior Terrapins.**

* * *

Seven: Shatter

Leo rubbed his hands together. Time to procure a distraction.

'Alright, everyone, time for a run. And if we happen to run into any Foot or Purple Dragons along the way, well…'

'They'll get their butts kicked!' yelled Mikey excitedly.

'Thank you, Michelangelo. Go get a jacket on, it's cold out. You too, Donnie – time you gave your brain a rest. You'll think clearer afterwards.'

'Okay.'

Don felt a hand brush his shoulder as he left the lab. He smiled. Leo knew when he was getting too focused on one thing. Leo always knew.

He sat on the floor and pulled on a pair of sneakers. He'd had to get used to these, as before they'd all gone barefoot. Clothes had felt strange too, but now, after two weeks – ever since he'd 'woken up' in the prison cell – they'd become almost like a second skin.

He shook away the random thoughts and climbed the stairs to where his brothers were waiting.

* * *

When they reached the surface, the team split up – the twins went south to check on another weapons shipment, while the younger turtles went east to try and find a gang that had been terrorizing a normally quiet neighbourhood.

Leo leapt over the rooftops, relishing the wind in his face, the sensation of freedom that he always felt during nightly patrols, the thought that they were closer to the stars than they'd been in two weeks. He looked back to check that Don was still following. The purple-masked turtle seemed to be moving slower than usual, but Leo put that down to Don's tiredness and emotional state. His twin was still going on steadily, though, so he wasn't too worried.

Leo stopped on a corner to allow Don to catch up, then his eye caught a flicker of movement not far away.

Black and red. _Foot Ninja._

Then a gunshot whistled past his head.

'Oh, hell.'

* * *

Don saw his brother turn and draw his sword from where he'd stuck it through the belt of his jeans. _Crud. Get up there, quick – wait, activate the beacon first._

After he'd made sure the emergency beacon was transmitting, Don grabbed his bo-staff and leapt into what could now be reasonably considered a fray. Foot were now swarming all over the roof, carrying swords, tridents, and – his stomach gave a lurch – _guns._ They weren't messing around. They would shoot to kill.

Behind him, a shadowy figure drew a device from his belt, pressing a large button before disappearing into the darkness.

Don felt a strange tingling in his side that spread up his back and down his arms. When the claws shot out of his fingertips, he knew something was wrong. He tried to call out to Leo, but a red mist descended in front of his eyes and the monster took control.

**Sanguine saw the turtle fighting the shadow people. Sanguine didn't like what he saw in the turtle's mind, the growing rage that rivalled his own. Sanguine did not want to be beaten.**

**So he attacked.**

* * *

Leo noticed his opponents fleeing a second before the green and purple blur nearly knocked him over. 'Donnie?' His brother turned towards him, and Leo saw the terrifying red, dilated eyes and the claws. _Kuso._

'Don, it's Leo! Fight it!'

**The turtle was trying to reach the host. Sanguine could feel the host reaching out, trying to regain control. Sanguine would not let it. Sanguine growled and leapt at the turtle with the host's weapon.**

Leo dived out of the way as Don – or rather the vampire – attacked him again, wielding Don's bo-staff as if it had been using one all its life. Leo's sword went flying off the roof as the staff flicked it away – _crap, he was stronger than Leo thought_ – and the vampire's claws slashed across Leo's right arm. The blue-clad ninja cried out in pain and fell to the ground. He saw the monster raise the bo-staff…

…his vision blurred…

**_Knife knew that the vampire would kill. Blue would not survive this if he did not move. He could lie on the ground and die, or he could grab a fallen weapon and attack. Blue was not thinking of either of these. So he made the decision for him._**

… he moved without his knowledge…

**_Knife raised the fallen gun. The vampire turned to face him._**

The sound of a gunshot echoed across the roof.

* * *

Leo snapped back to his senses as he heard the sound. He watched the red fade from Don's eyes, replaced by fear-filled chocolate brown. The gun dropped from his hands as he saw the blood spreading on his brother's shirt.

_… nononononono…_

_… whathaveIdonewhathaveIdone…_

_… DONNIE!_

Leo caught his brother before he fell to the ground, trying vainly to stop the blood, ignoring his own injuries. All he could hear was the echo of the gunshot and his brother's frightened whispers.

'Don't leave me, Leo... don't leave me here...'

He could hear the shouts of his other brothers, but they seemed far away, muffled.

_... ohgodsnonononotDonnie..._

_...forgivemeplease..._

_...justhangon..._

* * *

**The End.**

**Part Three, coming soon.**


End file.
